10 April 2013

by jkatejohnston

Dear Max,

I knew this was going to happen some day. Enzo said I can’t write about something.

He had a sort of crisis—over now but very serious at the time. I wrote about it, and it was really fucking good, and long, and I never get to write long things anymore, but I was hesitating about putting it in my online diary because it felt a little bit private. So I asked him if it was okay for me to write about the crisis in my diary, and he said no. I didn’t mention that I already had written about it or that I’m not going to delete it. But I’m also not going to show it to anyone, which pretty much breaks my heart. I abhor private writing.

Maybe in a few days I’ll try to buy him off with a new toy. Or just cash. I never should have asked him for permission, and of course I could still get away with putting it online. It’s not like he reads.

Teresa: I dreamed that you had bags of every kind of M&M hidden in your writing fort and that was why you were always going in there and closing the door. So I went in there and found your stash and took two bags, and I knew you’d know they were gone but you also couldn’t say anything.

Enzo: I dreamed that I turned into water and floated down a stream and then I turned into a human again. Isaac was there too, and I think he turned into water too. But I’m sure I did.

By the way, Enzo has pooped five times this morning. It’s not diarrhea, but definitely soft-serve. Between the third and fourth poop I heard him say to himself, “I have to poop again. Maybe it will just fade away. Butt, stop it or I’m cutting you off. I mean it. Can’t control it.” And then he headed down the hall again with this air of resignation calling out, “Poop but don’t come yet!”

That’s his expression when he’s about to poop. Then when he’s ready for a wipe he calls out, “Poop but do come yet!” And then we wipe his ass.

Perhaps he should be wiping his own ass. Or working on his thoroughness, because of course he can wipe his own, but he doesn’t do a very good job. And we like him to be fresh.